Visual artist and cultural organizer Favianna Rodriguez grew up in the Fruitvale district in East Oakland, far from her parents’ native Peru. She says she wants to change how immigrants and other marginalized groups are portrayed so that the full spectrum of people's stories can be shown.

Sights & Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene through the eyes and ears of local artists. Our guest is Favianna Rodriguez: visual artist, activist, and cultural organizer. Her work will be featured in the new exhibition Take This Hammer: Art + Media Activism, opening at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in SF on March 11th.

When you walk around town, you’re sure to see large posters pasted to construction sites and the sides of buildings. Many are advertisements for movies, records, or cars. Occasionally, you’ll see a poster that isn’t selling anything: It may be there to rally people for a demonstration or make a point about affordable health care. But no matter what the intentions of the poster are, these pieces of public art draw mixed reviews from political artists, store-owners, and city workers.